


Play The Symphony

by The_Mathemagician



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Gen, Oc-Inset, Self-Insert, Slow To Update, Subject to Revision, Video Game Mechanics, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 17:37:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20839406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Mathemagician/pseuds/The_Mathemagician
Summary: It's confusing and terrifying to be reborn as Colette Brunel. It's even more confusing when suddenly this new life is a video game.





	Play The Symphony

**Author's Note:**

> ...This has been in my head for years. ToS is my favourite video game ever. I’ve beaten it so many times. I’ve spent so many hours playing. I just had to write a fic.
> 
> I couldn’t decide between a SI as Colette, or video game!Colette, so... I decided both. Let’s hope I can do this justice.
> 
> Future chapters will be longer.
> 
> I decided to write this fic in present tense, however my other fic is written in past, so I may find myself slipping every now and then... I try to catch it but some instances may sneak in. Sorry!

_The Mathemagician Presents_

#  **Play the Symphony**

* * *

### Tutorial

It took me quite awhile to figure out what was going on, at first. Can you blame me, though? It was like I just woke up, and here I was, a baby again.

The whole thing was dreadfully confusing. If I was an infant, how the fuck was I able to have complex thoughts and feelings that my brain shouldn’t be capable of? And where was I? What language was being spoken?

It took me awhile to put everything together in between my constant need for sleep, and poor hearing and eyesight.

But I did. And I learned that my name was Colette Brunel, and I was somehow reborn into a video game.

I was reborn into a world who’s people expected me to sacrifice myself for it.

Thankfully, since I’d played the game so much, I knew that I wouldn’t actually have to do so... As long as I didn’t change too much. Which was harder than you’d think. I was _nothing_ like canon Colette. I wasn’t selfless, I wasn’t nice, I wasn’t ditzy. _I wasn’t her_.

But I did my best to pretend.

I sat through the lessons with Grandmother and all the priests. I studied the scriptures and pretended I believed them. I “prayed” every morning and every night. I practised fighting with my chakrams. I learned the Angelic Language, which, of all things, seemed to be some variation of _Frenc_ _h_. I kid you not. I expected like, Latin, or ancient Greek, or something if it was to be a language from Earth. But no, it’s French. But I digress. I acted the part of the devoted Chosen.

But I couldn’t force my personality to change so drastically. I wasn’t going to even try. So Colette Brunel was a quiet girl. She was polite. She kept to herself, devoting her time to her duties as the Chosen One.

Of course, when I met Lloyd, I made an exception.

I had to be his friend. I couldn’t afford not to. If he didn’t come with me on the Journey of Regeneration, then I had no chance of survival. Either the Renegades would kill me, or I’d be forced to become Martel’s vessel.

I hated kids, but I sucked it up and befriended him. He was annoying at first, but I got used to him. I started to see him as a little brother, regardless of the fact that he was technically older than me.

But if there was one thing I couldn’t tolerate in a friend it was complete idiocy, and so I made the boy study, and essentially tutored him.

From the games, I knew that he wasn’t dumb. He was observant and insightful. He was the first to suggest that the artifacts from the ancient war in both Sylvarant and Tethe’alla were real, for example.

From knowing him in person, I knew he had a learning disability. I was hardly an expert, but I suspected dyslexia.

I didn’t have the skills to help with that, so I took to reading aloud to him. I did my best to keep him engaged, tying the things we were learning into things he could use.

It was tiresome, and laborious, but I could say with confidence that Lloyd was much better educated than his canon counterpart, and consequently easier to be friends with.

When Genis and Raine arrived in Iselia, Lloyd made fast friends with the young half-elf, but I found him insufferable. Sure, the kid was intelligent, but he didn’t have the maturity to match it. He just rubbed me the wrong way, you know? It didn’t help that he frequently insulted Lloyd’s intelligence. While my pseudo-brother didn’t seem to mind, it grated on me. It wasn’t Lloyd’s fault! And he wasn’t stupid. Just because he didn’t learn the same way others did... But I kept my mouth shut and smiled. I had to be nice to Genis, I had to be his friend. He was like Lloyd, important. I wasn’t sure what would happen if we weren’t friends, but I knew it couldn't be good.

Still, by the time the day of the Oracle arrived, I was relieved.

At first, the Day of Prophecy goes as I expected. Cruxis sends down the Oracle, Raine leaves to investigate, a dying priest comes to the school house to inform of us the attack, Lloyd, Genis and I go to the temple, fight the Renegades and are saved by Kratos. You know, like the game. But then we reach the alter.

But then Remiel descends. But then Remiel affixes the Cruxis crystal to my sternum.

But then everything fades away and I’m alone with the words “_Tales of Symphonia: Start new game?_” floating in front of me.


End file.
